The Executive Vice President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, stated on Tuesday that Caracas will not allow the theft of its energy resources. She reiterated that any nation wishing to access Venezuelan oil or gas must do so by paying in accordance with international law.
«If they want oil, they have to pay for it, they are not going to steal it,» Rodríguez warned in a state television address. She denounced that U.S. authorities have committed «international crimes,» including operations in the Caribbean Sea that, in her opinion, constitute extrajudicial executions and open piracy against Venezuelan assets.
The official stated that under various pretexts—such as drug trafficking, democracy, or others—an attempt has been made to conceal what she defined as the true motivation: to appropriate Venezuelan oil without paying for it.
During an event with the working class of the oil industry, the Vice President emphasized that Venezuela will not hand over «not a single molecule» of its energy resources without a legitimate and fair transaction.
In this way, she backed President Nicolás Maduro's decision to suspend energy agreements with Trinidad and Tobago, after denouncing that the country participated in the assault carried out by U.S. military personnel against a vessel transporting Venezuelan crude oil.
«There are no agreements, there is no negotiation, there will be no production or gas for Trinidad and Tobago as long as that hostile agenda is maintained,» she assured.
